DAF

What is a Donor-Advised Fund? (DAF)

A Donor-Advised Fund, or DAF, works like a savings account for charitable giving. A donor puts money, stock, or other assets into the fund through a sponsoring organization often a community foundation or the charitable arm of an investment firm. From there, the donor can recommend grants to organizations like the Buckeye Trail Association whenever they choose.

How will my DAF make an impact:

Your DAF grant to the Buckeye Trail Association goes directly toward the work that keeps the Trail open, marked and welcoming.

Here’s where your gift makes an impact:

Preserve the trail for generations to come

Trails don’t maintain themselves. Erosion, storm damage, and overgrowth chip away at the Buckeye Trail every season, and your gift helps fund the ongoing repair work from repainting blue blazes to clearing blowdowns to rebuilding bridges and boardwalks in places like the Zaleski and Wayne National Forest sections. A gift today means the trail your grandkids hike will still be there, marked and walkable, decades from now.

Aid in volunteer support

BTA runs on the hours put in by our chapter volunteers clearing brush, hauling tools, staffing trailheads, and leading hikes across our ten chapters. Your gift helps cover the gear, training, and coordination that keep those volunteer crews equipped and organized, from loppers and saws to the logistics of getting a work crew to a remote trail segment.

Provide outreach and education

Not everyone grew up near the Buckeye Trail, and part of our work is making sure that changes. Your gift supports the materials, events, and programming that introduce new hikers to the Trail trailhead signage, chapter-led workshops, school and community group visits, and resources like our maps and trip-planning guides that help first-time hikers get out safely and confidently.

Build protect and connect our communities

The Buckeye Trail runs through canal towns, farmland, state forests, and small Ohio communities that depend on hikers passing through and on BTA to be a good neighbor. Your gift helps strengthen those Trail Town partnerships, supports land protection work that keeps the corridor intact, and connects chapters and volunteers across the state so the Trail stays one continuous 1,444-mile path rather than a patchwork.

Donor-Advised Funds: A Way to Support the Buckeye Trail

What is a Donor-Advised Fund?

A Donor-Advised Fund, or DAF, works like a savings account for charitable giving. A donor puts money, stock, or other assets into the fund through a sponsoring organization often a community foundation or the charitable arm of an investment firm. From there, the donor can recommend grants to organizations like the Buckeye Trail Association whenever they choose.

How does it work?

1. A donor contributes assets to their DAF and receives a tax deduction right away.
2. The funds can grow over time, tax-free, while sitting in the account.
3. When the donor is ready, they recommend a grant to a nonprofit like BTA and the DAF sponsor sends the funds directly.

It’s a flexible way to give: the tax benefit happens up front, but the decision about where the money goes can happen later, on the donor’s own timeline.

Do I have a DAF already?

Maybe. DAFs aren’t just for major donors plenty of everyday supporters have one through a financial advisor, employer program, or community foundation without thinking of it as anything unusual. If you’re not sure, it’s worth asking your financial advisor.

How can I give through my DAF?

Contact your DAF sponsor or financial advisor and ask them to recommend a grant to the Buckeye Trail Association. If you’re not sure where to start, reach out to us directly and we’ll walk you through it.